Photos and review by ALYSON CAMUS
LOS ANGELES – Los Angeles celebrated America’s 250th birthday over the Fourth of July weekend with a three-hour concert, fireworks, a drone show, and, of course, plenty of food and drinks. America250: America’s Block Party, a benefit show at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, was hosted by Queen Latifah, who also performed her feminist hip-hop anthem “U.N.I.T.Y.”
The ticket price was only $17.76, an obvious nod to the year the American colonies declared independence, and the proceeds supported “Giving 4th,” an initiative to help feed families in need and promote charitable giving on Independence Day.
Before the festivities, thousands of people attended America’s Block Party, a pre-show event set up around the Coliseum where anyone could enjoy free American food, drink complimentary sodas, and take part in plenty of entertainment, games, and giveaways. There, visitors could meet Benjamin Franklin and Abraham Lincoln impersonators and listen to musical groups performing a cappella doo-wop or a Fife and Drum Corps dressed in traditional American Revolutionary War uniforms. The street fair was very family-friendly and featured numerous photo opportunities and Instagram-worthy backdrops.
Chaka Khan was one of the day’s special guests, and the Queen of Funk took the stage with her legendary powerhouse vocals and signature moves, performing songs such as “This Is My Night,” “Do You Love What You Feel,” “Tell Me Something Good,” “I’m Every Woman,” and “Ain’t Nobody.” The musical lineup was quite eclectic, also featuring Maren Morris, who performed her hit “The Middle,” as well as The Smashing Pumpkins and country star Chris Stapleton, while Anthony Ramos delivered the national anthem.
I spotted plenty of Smashing Pumpkins shirts in the crowd, as the alt-rock band will be touring the U.S. and Canada this fall to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness. They played a relatively short set—”1979,” “Bullet With Butterfly Wings,” “Edin,” “Tonight, Tonight,” “Cherub Rock,” and “Today”—but shifted the atmosphere to a darker tone after Chaka Khan’s energetic performance.
Headliner Chris Stapleton closed the musical portion of the evening with the confidence of one of country music’s most decorated artists. The recipient of 12 Grammy Awards, 11 Academy of Country Music Awards, 15 Country Music Association Awards, and five Billboard Music Awards, among many other honors, Stapleton may have had a restrained stage presence, but he delivered with songs such as “Bad As I Used To Be,” “Nobody to Blame,” “Millionaire,” “Think I’m in Love With You,” “White Horse,” “Broken Halos,” and “Tennessee Whiskey.”
The celebration of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence concluded with an impressive drone show, followed by a long and spectacular fireworks display that made the evening even more memorable.
